The Record Shelf Guide to Classical CDs and Audiocassettes: Fifth Revised and Expanded Edition (Insider's Guide to Classical Recordings)

If you're interested in building or maintaining a classical music recording library, want advice on what to buy, and like the format of your recommendations to be on the breezy side, this may be your book. Jim Svejda's picks are sound ones, although he tends to favor older recordings over newer ones and leaves out some outstanding efforts in the process. Still, he gives you the straight scoop as he hears it, and he hears it pretty well.